Kate Gregson (
vanillajello) wrote2011-02-17 09:07 pm
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Overland Park, KS, Thursday Afternoon
Kate had ended up packing a lot of clothing options for her fancy date. She hadn't been able to help it, she wanted it to go well and she wanted to look good and mature, and forget everything anyone may have said about anything yesterday. She'd spent the morning busying herself with outfit selection, even going so far as to go through her aunt's wardrobe just in case something there happened to catch her eye, though she'd highly doubted it.
What she'd eventually decided on was all her own: a Lunch at Cartier's inspired ensemble, with the little black dress from the dance, a nice belt that made it less of an evening wear look, and a black headband. And for the finishing touch, she'd borrowed a pearl necklace from her mother.
"Don't forget to be yourself," Tara had said, sincere and smiling just a touch, after Kate had told her about the date to get the piece of jewelry from her, and all Kate had been able to reply with was an amused "Ha, ha, and ha, Mom" before going off to do her makeup like a good little old school glamour girl.
And then she and Zach were at the restaurant at the golf club, and...
"I am dramatically overdressed."
Really. She'd been feeling like it ever since they got there, but only got a chance to vocalize it now that they'd settled down and made their orders. Everyone else was dressed for an easy afternoon of idle golf, apparently, and she was sticking out like a sore Audrey Hepburn wannabe thumb. Great. "You look beautiful," Zach said, but she didn't relent. "This is not a place for a little black dress," she said with a frown, looking over at the people walking by. People who hadn't fallen out of old films. "This is a place for a... little white polo, or maybe a-- a delightful khaki polo would have sufficed."
They both reached for their glasses of water, and Zach fixed Kate with a calm look over the table. "You don't have to try so hard, you know."
"Trying?" Kate asked, like she had no idea. She tilted her glass this way and that, didn't even noticed she was doing it. "I'm not trying. I'm just... talking."
Zach leaned forward in his chair, did that thing where he tilted his head to the side and it seemed his green eyes were really seeing her. He was really looking at her. "You're enough, Kate," he said. "Can't you see that?" She couldn't help a wry sort of thin smile that made him shake his head. "Wow," he said, glancing down at the table to half hide a brief, joyless smile of his own. "Living with a schizophrenic has really taken a toll on you."
Kate would blame it on all of Fandom's recent and general insanity that it took her a moment to figure out what the hell he was even talking about with that comment. And once she did, her eyebrows went up with surprise. "Oh," she said, "my mom's not schizophrenic." And she would've said more, but just then their waitress came back with their lunch and offered her the crab Cobb salad, and it made her stomach lurch. Funny how long after the fact some reactions could linger on. "Oh no, sorry," she replied quickly. "I don't do crab."
Thankfully, Zach was already reaching for the plate. "That's mine," he told the waitress. "She's the... regular Cobb. Thanks."
After that little interlude, once they both had their lunch in front of them and the waitress had gone again, Kate had pretty much forgotten what they'd just been talking about, but Zach hadn't. He had a soft-spoken, curious question still to ask. "Have you ever had to... get a restraining order on your mom?"
Again, this made Kate pause. "No," she said, with a little smile. Wasn't that obvious? "I mean, she's a little crazy, but she's not dangerous."
Zach didn't look convinced, though. The somewhat dark look that lingered on his face surprised Kate; what he said next surprised her even more. "Not yet."
She really didn't know what to say to that, so she looked down and picked at the salad on her plate, then went for a subject change after a moment of silence. It seemed like a better course of action than spilling all about what was dangerous in her life.
[ooc: NFB, NFI, OOC-okay as these things are wont to be! Taken with mild tweakage from USoT S02E11 'To Have and to Hold'.]
What she'd eventually decided on was all her own: a Lunch at Cartier's inspired ensemble, with the little black dress from the dance, a nice belt that made it less of an evening wear look, and a black headband. And for the finishing touch, she'd borrowed a pearl necklace from her mother.
"Don't forget to be yourself," Tara had said, sincere and smiling just a touch, after Kate had told her about the date to get the piece of jewelry from her, and all Kate had been able to reply with was an amused "Ha, ha, and ha, Mom" before going off to do her makeup like a good little old school glamour girl.
And then she and Zach were at the restaurant at the golf club, and...
"I am dramatically overdressed."
Really. She'd been feeling like it ever since they got there, but only got a chance to vocalize it now that they'd settled down and made their orders. Everyone else was dressed for an easy afternoon of idle golf, apparently, and she was sticking out like a sore Audrey Hepburn wannabe thumb. Great. "You look beautiful," Zach said, but she didn't relent. "This is not a place for a little black dress," she said with a frown, looking over at the people walking by. People who hadn't fallen out of old films. "This is a place for a... little white polo, or maybe a-- a delightful khaki polo would have sufficed."
They both reached for their glasses of water, and Zach fixed Kate with a calm look over the table. "You don't have to try so hard, you know."
"Trying?" Kate asked, like she had no idea. She tilted her glass this way and that, didn't even noticed she was doing it. "I'm not trying. I'm just... talking."
Zach leaned forward in his chair, did that thing where he tilted his head to the side and it seemed his green eyes were really seeing her. He was really looking at her. "You're enough, Kate," he said. "Can't you see that?" She couldn't help a wry sort of thin smile that made him shake his head. "Wow," he said, glancing down at the table to half hide a brief, joyless smile of his own. "Living with a schizophrenic has really taken a toll on you."
Kate would blame it on all of Fandom's recent and general insanity that it took her a moment to figure out what the hell he was even talking about with that comment. And once she did, her eyebrows went up with surprise. "Oh," she said, "my mom's not schizophrenic." And she would've said more, but just then their waitress came back with their lunch and offered her the crab Cobb salad, and it made her stomach lurch. Funny how long after the fact some reactions could linger on. "Oh no, sorry," she replied quickly. "I don't do crab."
Thankfully, Zach was already reaching for the plate. "That's mine," he told the waitress. "She's the... regular Cobb. Thanks."
After that little interlude, once they both had their lunch in front of them and the waitress had gone again, Kate had pretty much forgotten what they'd just been talking about, but Zach hadn't. He had a soft-spoken, curious question still to ask. "Have you ever had to... get a restraining order on your mom?"
Again, this made Kate pause. "No," she said, with a little smile. Wasn't that obvious? "I mean, she's a little crazy, but she's not dangerous."
Zach didn't look convinced, though. The somewhat dark look that lingered on his face surprised Kate; what he said next surprised her even more. "Not yet."
She really didn't know what to say to that, so she looked down and picked at the salad on her plate, then went for a subject change after a moment of silence. It seemed like a better course of action than spilling all about what was dangerous in her life.
[ooc: NFB, NFI, OOC-okay as these things are wont to be! Taken with mild tweakage from USoT S02E11 'To Have and to Hold'.]
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